3.0 out of 5 stars | I really wanted to love these headphones...
Color: Silver
The Meze 99 Classics made a pretty good impression on me until they didn't: Sound: Overall, these headphones have a pleasant and coherent sound. Nothing is missing, but the sound signature isn’t the one I wanted. The highs don’t have that airy quality I like. The bass is too loud and too loose. When I have even the slightest headache, I can’t listen to music without cranking the volume way down because the bass becomes unbearable. Portability: These are the first headphones I’ve had in a long time that are closed (little sound leakage), light-weight, and require no additional amplification. But these headphones get so damn warm whenever it’s not chilly outside. I don't sweat a lot, yet my head is always drenched in sweat on my walk to work when I'm wearing these headphones. I’ve worn some pretty big and clunky headphones (Fostex T50RP MKIII, Audio Technica M50s, etc.) and some not so clunky ones (e.g. Momentum v1 and V-Moda Crossfade M100), but I cannot recall a single pair of headphones making me sweat like these. Comfort: When I put these headphones on the first time, I was thrilled. They seemed to stay in place while clamping minimally and did not require me to fiddle with them to get them to fit nicely around my head. But as I started wearing them for hours at a time, I began to notice that my head would hurt a lot, especially at the top of my head and where the headphones make contact with my glasses. To make matters worse, they always felt like they weren’t fitting snugly enough to keep air from escaping so I’d awkwardly shift them forward on my head to form a better seal, which looked ridiculous and made them hurt even more. I'm sure these are great headphones for a lot of people, but they’re just not for me…
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2017 by Imaginary Numbers
5.0 out of 5 stars | Hail to the King, Long Live the King
Color: Gold
I own an embarrassing number of headphones priced from $800.00 to $10.00. I own open back, closed back, semi open back, ANC, iem's, bluetooth headphones, bluetooth iem's. These headphones stand out in the crowd for their performance, build quality and outstanding looks. They are extremely comfortable and can be worn for hours without fatigue. They feature a enjoyable sound signature with a slightly boosted low end. While many headphones today boost their lows these don't sound muddy or boomy like most of the other companies. The bass goes deep but never bumps up against the mid's or gets unnatural. Mid's are well represented and very smooth and accurate. High's sing a very nice song without sibulance or fatigue. For closed back cans their sound stage is impressive with good width and depth. Instruments are well placed and easy to pick out. These have become my favorite closed back headphones because they have such an enjoyable sound. I do have a more detailed and technicaly accurate pair of closed back headphones but they reveal every flaw in poorly recorded songs or don't sound good with lower bit rate recordings. The Meze's just shine no matter what the source, bit rate or quality of the recording they just make songs sound better. In addition they scale well with better sources and amps. Very nice with tube amps. Wow, beauty, comfort and just plain enjoyable sound. What more can you expect from a headphone.
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2017 by Tech Junkie
5.0 out of 5 stars | Amazing Headphones for the Price (not a full review)
Color: Gold
I'd like to start off with the packaging and accessories. Simply amazing. Once I opened the plastic wrapping, the smell that emanated from the box reminds me of the smell of a new piano, which is weird out of a box of headphones. That being said, it is not unpleasant. It's a pleasant surprise. It comes with a case, 2 length of cords, a 1/4" adapter and the included in most headphones airline adapter (not too many US airlines use them any more). The case is very nice, and the cords are great as well. Also, for those of you who like stickers, it comes with 2 stickers with their brand name on it. Enough about the accessories. Let's talk about the sound. Without using all the silly words and tags people use in headphone and audiophile forums, all I can say is: Amazing. The sound characteristics compare with headphones costing significantly more. I own quite a few headphones and IEMs, so that's saying something. Most of my headphones are priced under $300, but I own a handful that are significantly over $309 price I paid for this headphones. I have a pair of headphones costing nearly 5x as much as the Meze 99 Classics, and the difference is ever so subtle that I can't justify $1200 difference in the two headsets. Is the $1500 headset better? Yes, but not by much, at least not by $1200 much. You can definitely hear every instrument, breath of the vocalist between passages, the separation and sound stage is definitely clear in a good way. It is not bass heavy, but the bass is very clear and full of energy without conflicting with the lower mid range and mid range as most of the bass heavy headphones do. I listened to softer, more gently recorded songs, as well as classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, EDM, Hip Hop, Country, Vocals, and even watched movies. I can clearly hear everything without any weird harshness or a lack of space, nor did I notice any boosting or cutting of frequencies. I never had the urge to EQ something. Simply put, if you are looking for an improvement to your sub-$300 headphone, do yourself a favor and try one of these. I tried this headphone directly into an iPhone and Android device, as well as through multiple DAC/Amp combos, and of course the latter sounded better, but it was still a pleasant listening experience sans the DAC/Amp. Check out this headphone as it is probably the best headphones I have heard (and yes, I have more headphones than fingers and toes) that are under $1000, and can get close to ones costing more. Caveat: Your mileage my vary, as everyone's ears are unique (shape, size, canal depth/shape, previous damage from loud music at concerts, etc.) and how you perceive music or audio in your ears are completely different from mine. I would love to listen to the Meze Empyrean. If you're seeing these reviews, Meze, I'd be happy to do a full write up for online sites, and be happy to clean/disinfect/dehumidify, and return them after my review. Would love to compare the Meze Empyreans with some of my top priced headphones. Cheers!
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2019 by DJ M&Ms
